animal book

One of a series of books covering computer-related topics published by O'Reilly and Associates. So named for their covers, each of which features an animal that is more or less emblematic of the topic covered.

Some of O'Reilly's animal books are obvious: the gnu for GnuEmacs, for example.
Others are more oblique, like the beaver for NT Event Logging, or the Surinam toad for Windows Annoyances.
Yet others are downright subtle.I suspect that the camel on ProgrammingPerl derives from that creature's reputation as a graceless and improbable creature, capable of startling feats of strength and endurance.

Almost all O'Reilly cover images come from the Dover pictoral archive.